793-234 Crop Production and Management

792-182 Plant Production.

The objective of this subject is to provide students with skills and knowledge relating to crop production and management.

The content includes:

• an introduction to the cropping industry and Australia's position in the international market place;

• domestic marketing of cereal grains and analysis of the economics of growing cereals in suitable climatic zones of Australia;

• crop selection and the influence of climate and soils;

• the resources needed for successful cropping;

• the principles of crop growth and development;

• developing a crop rotation and principles of establishment;

• yield potential and limitations to yield;

• managing the harvest process;

• crop management systems involving irrigation and combining livestock with cropping;

• grain legumes and vegetable oilseed crops, their production potential, establishment, management and benefits in a cereal crop rotation;

• assessing the merits of alternative crops particularly summer-grown cereals and pasture seed production; and

• possibilities to expand enterprises to include agroforestry, fruit, vegetable or floriculture crops.

Internal students: two assignments of 2000 words each (25%), 3-hour test (50%). External students: two assignments of 2000 words (100%).